ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates how ‘science’ and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are associated and given value by proponents of genetic modification (GM) in the news media, at the same time as these clusterings of positive attributes are contrasted with stances opposed to the use of genetic modification of plants and animals. The investigation focuses on how meaning-making practices in the recontextualisation of scientific research, i.e. in news media pieces, act to position certain actors and institutions in the community. The chapter will focus specifically on the positioning of the main actors in the texts analysed, and is illustrated with the results of an Appraisal analysis of a number of recent news articles with a pro-GM stance, some of which explicitly positively evaluate the development of GM food, while at the same time implying (or invoking) a negative attitude towards opponents. While the analysis focuses on attitudinal resources, such resources often entail reference to more than explicitly evaluative wordings. This chapter extends the discussion of invoked attitude by noting how associations with both intra-text, inter-text and extra-text associations co-opt the positive connotations ‘science’ enables.
